Danny Francis Boyle was born on 20 October 1956,[1] in Radcliffe, Lancashire, England, about 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Manchester's city centre, to Irish parents Frank and Annie Boyle, both from County Galway. He has a twin sister, Marie, and a younger sister, Bernadette, both of whom are teachers.[2][3]
Although he now describes himself as a "spiritual atheist,"[4] he was brought up in a working-class Catholic family. Boyle was an altar boy for eight years and his mother had the priesthood in mind for him, but at the age of 14 he was persuaded by a priest not to transfer to a seminary.[5]
Whether he was saving me from the priesthood or the priesthood from me, I don't know. But quite soon after, I started doing drama. And there's a real connection, I think. All these directors – Martin Scorsese, John Woo, M. Night Shyamalan – they were all meant to be priests. There's something very theatrical about it. It's basically the same job – poncing around, telling people what to think.[6][7]
In 1987 Boyle started working in television as a producer for BBC Northern Ireland where he produced, amongst other TV films, Alan Clarke's controversial Elephant before becoming a director on shows such as Arise And Go Now, Not Even God Is Wise Enough, For The Greater Good, Scout, and two episodes of Inspector Morse.[11]
In 2011 he directed Frankenstein for the National Theatre.[13] This production was broadcast to cinemas as a part of National Theatre Live on 17 March 2011.[14] He has also appeared on Top Gear and set the fastest wet lap at that time.[15] In 2014 both Boyle and Christian Colson signed to a first look deal with FX Productions.[16]
In September 2022, it was announced that Boyle would direct a dance adaptation of The Matrix, titled "Free Your Mind", which debuted in October 2023 in Manchester.[17]
Reception to the ceremony was generally positive both nationally in the United Kingdom and internationally.[22][23][24][25]
Pistol
On 11 January 2021, it was announced that Boyle would be adapting the Steve Jones' autobiography Lonely Boy into a six-part TV series entitled Pistol that charts the rise and fall of the Sex Pistols. The series aired on FX and Disney+ on 30 May 2022,[26] and stars Emma Appleton, Louis Partridge and Maisie Williams, amongst others. The show was filmed in London.[27]
Film
Boyle's love for film began with his first viewing of Apocalypse Now:
It had eviscerated my brain, completely. I was an impressionable twenty-one-year-old guy from the sticks. My brain had not been fed and watered with great culture, you know, as art is meant to do. It had been sandblasted by the power of cinema. And that's why cinema, despite everything we try to do, it remains a young man's medium, really, in terms of audience.[28]
In 2008 he directed Slumdog Millionaire, the story of an impoverished child (Dev Patel) on the streets of Mumbai, India, who competes on the local version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, for which Boyle won Academy and BAFTA Awards for Best Director. The most successful British film of the decade, the film won eight Academy Awards and seven BAFTA Awards.[38][39] Boyle commented, "To be a film-maker...you have to lead. You have to be psychotic in your desire to do something. People always like the easy route. You have to push very hard to get something unusual, something different."[10] Andrew Macdonald, producer of Trainspotting, said "Boyle takes a subject that you've often seen portrayed realistically, in a politically correct way, whether it's junkies or slum orphans, and he has managed to make it realistic but also incredibly uplifting and joyful."[10] The success led a deal with Fox Searchlight.[40]
Despite the commercial success of Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle also faced great criticism for his portrayal of India through a Western, idealized lens. Some critics saw the film as "poverty porn," though Boyle argued he showed India's "lust for life" and "resilience."[41]
Boyle's next film was Trance, starring James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson. It has been reported another instalment of the 28 Days Later franchise is in the development stages.[44][45] Boyle has stated previously that in theory the third instalment of the series would be titled 28 Months Later, but alluded to a film taking place somewhere else in the world he created in 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. He was also stated to be producing the upcoming film Paani.[46]
Boyle told an interviewer about the eclectic range of his films, "There's a theme running through all of them—and I just realised this. They're all about someone facing impossible odds and overcoming them."[47] With a strong interest in music, Boyle has mentioned in interviews that he has considered a musical film with original compositions. Boyle has also expressed interest in an animated film.[48]
Boyle's eponymous biopic of Apple Inc. founder Steve Jobs closed the 59th BFI London Film Festival. It was the third time Boyle has had that honour, after Slumdog Millionaire in 2008 and 127 Hours two years later. The BFI's London Film Festival Director, Clare Stewart, said Boyle had created an exhilarating and audacious film about a complex, charismatic pioneer.[49] He then directed the sequel to Trainspotting, T2 Trainspotting.[50]
In a BBC interview, Boyle stated that he didn't write his own films but they did reflect his personality. "I am not a big auteur fan and like to work with writers, but ultimately a film is a director's vision, because he gets all its elements together towards that vision."[51]
In March 2018, Boyle confirmed he would be directing the then-untitled twenty-fifthJames Bond film (later known as No Time to Die)[52] but dropped out that August due to a dispute over the film's script.[53][54]
Boyle was a founding trustee[61] in 2007,[62] of Dramatic Need, a charity which operated in Rwanda and South Africa, helping young people to come to terms with trauma and conflict.[18] The charity was wound up in November 2021.[63]
As of 2008[update], Boyle was the patron of North West England-based young people's substance misuse charity, Early Break, which was founded and based in his home town of Radcliffe.[64]
In 2014, it was announced that Boyle would become a patron of HOME in Manchester.[65]
In December 2012 it was widely reported that Boyle turned down a knighthood in the New Year Honours list. He told BBC Radio 4 "I'm very proud to be an equal citizen and I think that's what the opening ceremony was actually about."[72][73]